By Ronald N. Guy Jr.
Assemble all NFL teams together and, like every schoolyard,
you’ll find a sample of styles covering the entire athletic continuum. The awkward and uncoordinated (the Colts and
‘Skins), the talented but unfocused (the Cowboys), the naturally gifted and
elegant (Green Bay) and even the bullies are represented. There are many teams claiming territory in
this latter group, but there’s only one true NFL playground thug: the Pittsburgh
Steelers.
No sports franchise personifies its city more accurately
than the Steelers. The franchise’s name
and logo were, obviously, derived from the local trademark steel industry, but
the team’s cultural connection with the region is far deeper than these
superficial indicators. Western
Pennsylvania is synonymous with Appalachia, rugged, resilient Americans and
steel. Similarly, as far back as the
early 1970s and the famed Steel Curtain defense, Pittsburgh has proudly been
one of the NFL’s tough guys. Stingy
defenses, hard hits and blue-collar, no-nonsense players have been the hallmark
of Steelers football for 40 years. The
organization long ago adopted a successful formula that, like a good family
recipe, they’ve stubbornly maintained without compromise. They draft and develop their own players and
have little use for free agents who’ve been corrupted with another,
non-Steelers culture. They seek out
“steel”-minded, hard-nosed coaches that embody the “Steelers way “, show them
uncommon loyalty – they‘ve had but three coaches since 1969 – and empower them
to run the football operations. It’s a
business model, a franchise and a style of play I’ve admired for many
years. That admiration, despite the
team’s on-going success, is starting to wane.
Violence, an innate aspect of football, is under
assault. League rules regarding hits on
quarterbacks and defenseless receivers has been redefined; the powers-that-be
in the NFL have absolutely zero tolerance for helmet to helmet hits and NFL
head-hunters who lead recklessly with the crown of their helmets. As one might suspect, such violence
legislation and its enforcement has been met with great resistance from fans
and players alike. Every Sunday fans
erupt over perceived dubious personal fouls and players cry to their union over
league-levied fines for illegal hits.
Ground zero for this battle between old school football ops and the new
school neutering of defensive aggression is Pittsburgh, PA.
No team has gotten more publicity for its blackout hits and
fines than the Steelers. The new rules
fly in the face of everything the Steelers are and team and fans are united in
their angst. I was with them for a
while. Now my answer to Black and Gold
nation’s gripes is “too bad.” The truth
is violence follows the Steelers. If
you watch a team against any other opponent and then watch them against the
Steelers, you’ll see two different brands of football. The Steelers are like the attitude-laden
co-worker who brings out the worst in everyone around him or her. Watch a Steelers game and you’re probably
going to see someone from the other team knocked senseless and stagger off the
field. And for the most part, football
fans – Steelers fans or otherwise – love it.
That is sad commentary on the lack of basic humanity pervading society
and stands on Sundays. Our ignorance of
the long-term impact of concussions is long gone. There should be a collective intolerance for players who
blatantly and habitually hit opponents high and disgust, not barbaric
celebration, when someone’s husband, father or son is knocked senseless. For whatever reason, such play follows the
Steelers and in this battle of wills, the NFL will, thankfully, prevail. The Steelers will conform…eventually. Their style represents football’s past, the
league’s approach its sustainable, safer future.
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